It has been decided to send Taka 2,500 of government cash assistance to 50 lakh poor beneficiaries through four Mobile Financial Services (MFS) operators.
The cash assistance will reach poor families whose income has been stop due to the ongoing lockdown due to coronavirus situation on next Thursday (May 14).
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the country's four major MFS operators - bKash, Cash, Rocket and Sure Cash - to send the aid to the poor.
At this phase, the government will ensure transparency in sending cash assistance of Taka 12.5 crore from the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief through MFS operators, the sources said.
Out of 50 lakh families, the MFS operator of the postal department will extend their service to 17 lakh families. Cash assistance for the development of the country's largest MFS operator bKash will reach 15 lakh families. The rocket will send aid to 10 lakh families. And through Sure Cash, 8 lakh families will get assistance of Taka 2500.
Disaster Management and Relief Secretary Shah Kamal confirming the news said, there is no other way to send money to the poor easily. We are sure of the most popular services since conventional. So the issue of transparency will also be ensured.
In case of sending cash assistance by the government, the cost of cashing out Taka 2,500 will be added to the cost and sent to the poor families. In this case, since the cash out charge of bKash is 1.85 percent, so as a cash out charge of Taka 2500, they have to be sent only by adding an additional Taka 46 rupees 25 paisa. However, the government will give 15 rupees of the cash-out cost to the MFS operators again.
The government's Information and Communication Technology Department and the Ministry of Relief and Disaster Management recently set up a database on government relief and food aid. This cash assistance is being sent by making a list of those 50 lakh from the database created by them.
However, in the next few days, the work of preparing the entire database will be completed and there will be a total names of 1.25 crore families, said Information and Communication Secretary Ziaul Alam.
Once the database is prepared, these families will be given a card with QR code so that they can use to receive government food assistance later - which is expected to be free of allegations of misappropriation of relief aid.